Bochkarev: Poland as “best in class”

Bochkarev: Poland as “best in class”

In a commentary for The Baltic Course, Senior Fellow at the EastWest Institute Danila Bochkarev (who, incidentally, will be a moderator at the Budapest LNG Summit) calls Poland “best in class” when it comes to the work the country has done recently towards diversification of sources and routes of natural gas.

He writes that Poland is now able to get more than 90% of imported gas supplies through reverse flow with Germany and via a diversity of sources coming through its LNG terminal at Swinoujscie, and the country also has plans for a new pipeline to tap into Norwegian gas fields. Bochkarev recalls Polish gas company PGNiG’s 20-year gas contract for liquefied natural gas deliveries from Qatar and this summer’s spot delivery from the US.

According to him, the natural gas market in Poland is becoming increasingly liquid, and gas on gas price formation applies to 60% of gas supplies. Due to interconnectivity and reverse flow, Poland as a gas hub may now even act as a competitor to Germany’s Nord Stream, he observes.

The new supply sources, writes Bochkarev, have made Poland independent from Russian gas. Furthermore, he suggests that Poland truly adopt the European regulatory framework and let the market do its job to further that “best in class” success.